Magic
by swanqueenwhispers
Summary: One shot .. an SQ twist on season 2 .. takes place right after Emma returns from her outing to New York with Henry and Mr. Gold ..


**A.N. **_An SQ twist for Season 2 ..._

~sqsqsqsq~

Mary Margaret sees her daughter walk through the door and she runs to her. "Emma, you're home!" She hugs the blonde.

Emma squeezes her back and Henry joins in for the group hug. Mary Margaret pulls away and gazes at her, noticing the worn out look on her daughter's face. "So where is ... "

"He's with his father right now, handling some stuff." Emma shrugs and brushes some hair away from Henry's eyes.

"Okay, well, that's good, right? That he came back too. Does it mean ... "

Emma glances down at Henry and shakes her head. "I don't know what it means." She softly responds.

There's a light knock on the lofts door and Henry runs to answer it. When he opens the door, his other mother is standing in front of him. Regina immediately bends down and embraces her son. "Oh, Henry, I have missed you!"

Emma comes around to the door and locks eyes with the brunette. She releases Henry and climbs back to her feet. "Hello, Emma. I hear you left town for a few days. Find anything interesting in your travels with Gold?"

Emma shrugs and clears her throat. "Yeah, you could say that."

"May I have a quick word with you .. alone."

Emma pulls her coat back on. "Let's go take a walk."

~sqsqsqsq~

The two women walk along in silence. They are both deep in thought. Regina keeps having flashes of herself enraged and consumed by magic while she sends Emma flying down her walkway. Emma's thoughts are even more scrambled. She feels like she has been on an emotional roller coaster the last few days. Her brain and heart feel like they are in overdrive.

She finally breaks the awkward silence. "So, I hear, your psycho of a Mom is in town, huh?"

Regina gets a faraway look in her eye. "Yes, she is."

"So, what are we gonna do about this?"

"We? There is no _we_ about this, Emma. I have to handle my mother on my own." Regina stops and grabs Emma's arm roughly. "And you have to make sure our son stays safe and away from her."

Emma watches as fear sweeps along Regina's dark eyes. She is taken aback by how much the brunette looks like a scared little girl. Regina turns and begins to walk away.

Emma calls out, "Hey, what did you want to talk with me about?"

Regina shakes her head and continues to walk away. She mumbles, "Never mind."

Emma watches her go and thinks back to what Regina has just acknowledged. _Our son._

_Well, that's a first. Can this week get any stranger?_

~sqsqsqsq~

"Well, dear, how did it go?"

Regina jumps at the voice as she closes the vault door behind her. "Fine, Mother. They are clueless, as always."

"Wonderful, now we make our move."

Regina looks at her mother and shakes her head. _How to stall?_

"Don't get cold feet on me now, dear. I need you."

With that omission, Regina glances up at the older woman. "You need me, Mother?"

"Well, of course dear, how else am I to get that infuriating Savior in my clutches? She _trusts _you, Regina, and I am going to use that to kill her and the Charming's once and for all."

Regina turns her back on Cora. "She doesn't _trust_ _me_, Mother. Not at all. She just knows I would never hurt Henry so ... "

"Well, either way Regina, you are the key in helping me, get my hands on all their hearts."

~sqsqsqsq~

Cora watches as Regina sleeps. She knows her daughter is not being honest with her and that she has only pretended to align with her. It is quite unfortunate to have such an ungrateful and worthless daughter. Always making such foolish decisions. The only time she was remotely close to being proud of her was when she ruled as the evil queen. But even that hadn't lasted long. Her daughter once again used her sorrow and grief for that incompetent stable boy to bestow a curse. A curse that made her daughter soft and careless all over again. There was truth to what she had said to her daughter though. Regina would be the key in tricking the Savior. Cora walks to the mirror and smiles at herself. A purple mist arises and when she glances back at her reflection, _Regina Mills_ is smirking back at her.

~sqsqsqsq~

Emma is at the sheriff's office, catching up on piles of paperwork when Regina walks into the room. Emma peers up at the woman. "Hey?" She jumps up and walks around her desk.

Cora follows Emma's lead. "Hey."

Emma tilts her head and wrinkles her brow.

Cora curses herself, she realizes this is going to be more difficult than she thought. She has no idea how these two women interact with each other. _A definite disadvantage._

"Um ... is everything okay? Did something happen with your Mom? Is Henry in danger ... do I need to get home?"

"No ... no ... Henry is in no danger, for now." The older woman can't help voicing that hidden threat. "I need to talk to you, but not here. Can you meet me in the morning, on the docks?"

"I guess so. Didn't Cora come here by the docks, though? Shouldn't we talk somewhere else?"

"Where do you suggest?"

Emma stares at Regina then. Something is definitely not right. Emma's senses start to kick in and she has a sinking feeling that this is _not_ Regina standing in front of her. She knows Cora has used her magic to pretend to be Regina once already. _To kidnap Archie._

_How to play this?_

"Oh, you know, our usual spot." Emma stares at her, waiting for a response.

Cora immediately knows that Emma is on to her. She sees the shift in her body language and watches as Emma glances toward the exit. Cora quickly puffs back to her true form and blocks the way out.

Emma takes a step back, fear creeping across her features.

Cora chuckles cruelly at Emma's reaction. "My dear, you really should see your face. It is quite haunting." She laughs deeper now. "You are a _clever_ little thing, however."

~sqsqsqsq~

Regina wakes up and looks around the room. "Mother ... " She calls out.

The brunette walks past the mirror and catches a slight scent of sulfur. Regina's hands fly to her face. "Oh, no ... please ... No!" Regina flashes her wrist and all that remains in her place is a purple mist.

~sqsqsqsq~

Regina pops into the loft and Mary Margaret screams out in shock. "Regina?! What the he - "

"Where's Henry?! Where is Emma?!"

"Henry is upstairs, sleeping. Emma is at the sheriff's station. What in the wor - "

"Are you sure Henry is upstairs? Go check, NOW!"

David comes down the stairs. "Geez, Regina, he's up there. I just covered him back up."

There is another flash of purple smoke and Regina is gone.

"Charming, go grab your sword." She runs to the phone.

~sqsqsqsq~

Emma rolls her eyes as Cora is yet again running her mouth. _Does this woman ever shut up?_

Cora sees the eye roll and flicks her wrist, sending Emma flying across the room. The only thing that stops her is the cell bars, crashing against her back. She slides to the floor, trying to regain the breath that has been knocked out of her, as shock and pain course through her . Cora isn't done and with another flick, Emma is lifted up into the air. She is thrown back against the wall facing Cora. Emma's head slams hard against the surface and she crumples to the floor. She grabs the back of her head and when she pulls her hand away, there is blood on her fingertips. "Wonderful ... " She mutters.

_And then all goes black._

~sqsqsqsq~

Regina appears in the sheriff's office. She frantically takes in the room. _No Emma._ There is paperwork laying in various spots on the floor. She glances up and sees a crack along the far wall. She walks to the spot and glances down. Regina runs her fingertips along the red drops that are splattered on the wood floor. Tears form quickly in her eyes when she realizes she is touching Emma's blood.

Mary Margaret and David come barreling into the room. They stop in their tracks when their eyes fall on Regina. The Charming's glance down and glimpse the color red.

"NO! Regina, where the hell is our daughter?!"

Regina is lost in despair. All she can do is just stare at her hands. _At Emma's blood._

Mary Margaret walks up to her and shakes her roughly. "REGINA?! Snap out of it!" The brunette's eyes lock onto Snow's. They are no longer their Storybrooke selves. Both women feel it at the same time. They are back in time now. Feeling a past neither one of them wants to remember.

"Focus! The bloo - " Snow's voice catches roughly. "The blood is still fresh, it just happened. We have to - "

"Mother is going to kill her. She destroys _everything_ I - "

"Where would she take her?" Snow demands.

Regina breaks away from Snow's grip on her. She looks at the Charming's with steel in her eyes now. "Take care of Henry ... always." And with that Regina is gone.

Snow falls to the ground before Charming has time to catch her. He kneels down and holds his wife as their sobs rock against them.

~sqsqsqsq~

Regina is staring at the docks. She knows her Mother is on the ship and she imagines Emma is lost to the water by now. The brunette gathers her strength and pushes her legs forward. If she survives this, she will mourn Emma. There is a part of her that hopes she doesn't survive. So she won't have to endure that pain.

"Go make sure our prisoner is still bound up, would you, dear?"

"Of course, love." Hook smirks at Cora as he limps below the deck.

Cora is staring at the horizon when she hears footsteps approach her.

"Hello, Mother." Regina strains her voice to keep it calm.

Cora smirks and turns slowly. "I imagine you have figured it out, Regina?"

"Figured out what?"

"That I never lose, my dear. And I do mean _never_." And with that Regina finds herself flying through the air.

~sqsqsqsq~

Hook bends down and shakes Emma. "Wake up ... come on, love."

Emma faintly hears a voice coming through to her. She tries to follow it. She tries to open her eyes. Hook grabs a canteen of water and pours it over her face. She jumps against the cold that is now gripping her. "What the - what happened?" Emma asks, startled. She is shocked to see Hook inches from her face. She struggles against the rope that has her feet and hands bound. "I should have known. You disgust me."

"Well now, I don't think that's all true. We did have a moment up that beanstalk, love." He grins at her.

"Yeah, too bad that moment wasn't me, pushing your ass _off_ that beanstalk." Emma glares at him.

"Now, now ... is that anyway to talk to the man who is going to let you go?"

Emma peers at him. False hope stretches along her heart now. _If only._

Hook sees the doubt fall across her face and chuckles. He begins to untie the ropes and when the last of them are removed, he steps back. "You should work on your faith in me, love."

Emma is shocked that she can now move her hands and feet freely. She gets over it quickly and jumps up. "Where is Cora?" With that they hear a loud thump register from up above.

"Well, _Cora_ is up there. Although, I have no idea _what_ she is currently doing at the moment. You need to leave _now_ if you value your life, love. Get to your son."

~sqsqsqsq~

Emma makes it above deck just in time to see Regina being tossed off the ship. She can only hope the brunette is still alive. Cora's back is to Emma as she sprints to the edge of the ship and jumps onto it's railing. She hurdles through the glimmer shield and lands with a hard thud onto the wooden dock. Regina is just a few feet from her. Emma has just made it to the brunette when she hears, chilling laughter. _She is really starting to hate that nut job._

"Regina, please ... wake up. I can't do this by myself." Emma pleads softly.

Regina begins to stir and slowly opens her eyes. She is shocked to see Emma's face in her vision. The brunette gently strokes the blondes cheek. "Am I dead?"

Emma grabs the hand that is now resting on her face and says, "No, but we're gonna be if you don't fireball her ass or something. Come on, start using your magic mojo!"

Cora appears in front of them. "Oh, you two are quite a pair. Such _fools_. There is no defeating me. I am the Queen of Hearts. My daughter got lucky when she threw me into Wonderland. There will be no more moments of weakness. Well, not from me anyway. You two on the other hand ... "

"You're really gonna kill your own daughter? What kind of a _sick_ bitch are you?" Emma stands up.

Regina follows and grabs her shoulder. "Emma ... stop."

"Seriously, Regina ... now is not the time to go all, _Mommy dearest,_ on me."

Cora laughs. "Oh, this is quite rich, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were .. _smitten _with one another."

Emma and Regina's eyes catch.

The blonde chuckles. "You're way off base, psycho of hearts, your daughter hates me. Probably more than you do."

"Mother, please ... just let Emma go home to Henry. We have work to do remember? Bigger fish to fry, wouldn't you agree? There will be time to deal with the Charming's later."

"Nice try, dear. I might not be able to take the Savior's heart but I will destroy her! No more talking, just _this_ ... "

Regina and Emma flinch as they watch Cora's hand start to crackle.

Regina's voice slices through the air. "Mother, you want a moment of weakness? Fine, you shall have it."

Cora lowers her hand now, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Regina quickly turns to the blonde and cups her face in between her hands. "Emma, I don't hate you ... I .. I love you."

Deep brown eyes meet light sea green. Hearts beat fast. Breaths catch. Faces inch close and when their lips brush together a warmth flows through them. A blue light strikes out against the air, sending everything flying back away from them, including the Queen of Hearts. Startled they break away and watch as Cora slams into the far away warehouse wall and despite the distance, they can hear, bones shattering. Cora Mills falls to the ground. _Lifeless._

"What the hell was that?" Emma gasps.

Regina is stunned and it takes her a few minutes to process what has actually just happened. When the realization hits her, she softly says, "I believe that was true love's kiss, working it's magic."

"True .. magic .. but your Mom .. I'm sorry, Regina." Emma stammers.

Both women glance back to where Cora lies and Regina takes a deep breath. "It's okay, Emma. I mourned her a long time ago. She .. had to be stopped." Regina's voice breaks a little and a few stray tears escape from her eyes.

Emma looks at the brunette then with such intensity, it makes the older woman shudder. She gently wraps her arms around Regina and whispers, "It wasn't a moment of weakness before, you know... it was a moment of .. _strength. _You are so incredibly strong, Regina." Emma cups her face. "I love you too, just don't let it go to your head, _Madam Mayor_." Her eyes dance with mischief as she leans forward and presses her forehead along Regina's.

"I wouldn't dream of it, _Miss Swan._" Regina whispers.

And this time when their lips come together, the warm glow of magic only sways along the two of them.

**~sqsqsqsq~**

**A.N. **_Happy New Year, Swen! I listened to, _Sideways by Citizen Cope _for this one shot._ **King Trouble **_made a fantastic SQ video to this song __***swoon* **__Awesome SQ feels. _:) Thank you for reading!


End file.
